While I don't actively dislike anything in the current line-up, I've felt this to be the single weakest line-up of strips in a very long time indeed. There is little to be excited about in the current run, though the occasionally strong single episode of a strip helps to pull the Prog along. I'm very eager to get to the next jumping-on prog however, which looks likes it's going to be a much stronger line-up of thrills according to the solicitations press (see below).

The storylines for Judge Dredd, Bad Company, Brass Sun, Savage and ABC Warriors all wrap up in Progs 2071-2072, leaving the decks clear for an all-new line-up to start in the bumper, 48-page Prog 2073 – Dredd crosses paths once more with the terrifying Judge Pin in ‘Fit for Purpose’ by Rob Williams and Chris Weston; vampire bounty hunter Durham Red takes on a case to reunite mother and son in ‘Born Bad’ by Alec Worley and Ben Willsher; Nort war-crimes investigator Atalia Jaegir returns to the hellworld that is Nu Earth in ‘In the Realm of Pyrrhus’ by Gordon Rennie and Simon Coleby; Psi-Judge Anderson must face a new threat rising from the Undercity in ‘Undertow’ by Emma Beeby and David Roach; and history is being reshaped in ‘The New World’, the fourth series of the time- and dimension-jumping thriller The Order by Kek-W and John Burns!

I feel like I'm alone in both liking the prog now and looking forward to the next jumping on prog. (still waiting for the promised-in-a-thrillcast explanation of how BC are all magically alive though)>

While I don't actively dislike anything in the current line-up, I've felt this to be the single weakest line-up of strips in a very long time indeed. There is little to be excited about in the current run, though the occasionally strong single episode of a strip helps to pull the Prog along. I'm very eager to get to the next jumping-on prog however, which looks likes it's going to be a much stronger line-up of thrills

While I don't actively dislike anything in the current line-up, I've felt this to be the single weakest line-up of strips in a very long time indeed. There is little to be excited about in the current run, though the occasionally strong single episode of a strip helps to pull the Prog along. I'm very eager to get to the next jumping-on prog however, which looks likes it's going to be a much stronger line-up of thrills

This.

What makes it particularly hard to stomach is that the meg is currently firing on all cylinders, particularly with the new MovieWorld Death with Flint on art duties.

The Dredd tale seems rather odd to me, can't quite put my finger on it...just doesn't sit right. Although it is in keeping with Dredd's of late. More generally, over the last few years Dredd seems to have been stumbling from one beating to the next, generally getting captured, brutalised and beaten. Along the way his life is saved fairly regularly by minor characters. I appreciate he's getting on a bit, but he's presented more often as a liability than an asset to MC1

I just don't think Michael Carrol gets Dredd. His scripts are all over the place & when it comes to Dredd and supporting characters, they are behaving in very odd ways. Take Hershey in that Texas mess, she was portrayed as a lame duck and she really isn't. Dredd's getting on a bit sure, but he's still Dredd and a damn a good Judge.

It's stuff like this that's making me wonder if I too have out grown the prog after 30 years. I'm not enjoying the fragmented nature of Carrolls stories and the way Dredd's been allowed to go. I miss the world building Wagner did so well, including some great supporting characters in Dredd's world, that we just don't get any more... it's a real shame...

I just don't think Michael Carrol gets Dredd. His scripts are all over the place & when it comes to Dredd and supporting characters, they are behaving in very odd ways. Take Hershey in that Texas mess, she was portrayed as a lame duck and she really isn't. Dredd's getting on a bit sure, but he's still Dredd and a damn a good Judge.

It's stuff like this that's making me wonder if I too have out grown the prog after 30 years. I'm not enjoying the fragmented nature of Carrolls stories and the way Dredd's been allowed to go. I miss the world building Wagner did so well, including some great supporting characters in Dredd's world, that we just don't get any more... it's a real shame...

It’s not you, it’s Carroll. He’s been dire for Dredd with dull epics and constantly badly using classic characters and back story or adding in his own tired ‘orishness all over the place. I appreciate he has a lot of goodwill from his tenure on these boards but every week his name is on a Dredd credit it’s another dull week. Take the current story - the horned baddie is dull, the fish-man lackey is dull, another dull feisty independent (Irish) lady is on board, the dialogue is dull. Zero humour, zero character, dull action, zero interest.

Let Carroll create his own series for 2000ad and see if he has anything beyond fanboy knowledge of Dredd because after many years on Dredd his writing offers very little.

I gotta disagree - I'm enjoying this latest Dredd stories and I think Carroll "gets" modern Dredd perfectly. You can't keep writing stories about action-hero Dredd leaping off H-wagons in a sparkling world-ruling city - Dredd's 70 odd years old and his city has been crippled by Chaos day - Carroll writes stories that reflect this. hence the need for additional characters to do some of the action stuff but Dredd's presence looms over everything, he can still handle himself in a scrap and his dialogue is always spot on. Ditto for Every Empire falls - I didn't think Hershey was portrayed as a lame duck, she's in charge of a crippled city and had hard choices to make. There's a bit where the Brit cit judge says something like "don't make the mistake of thinking of her as politician, she's a street judge - and if she knew Dredd was alive, she'd ditch the badge of office and come gunning for us" (paraphrased as i don't have it to hand).

I gotta disagree - I'm enjoying this latest Dredd stories and I think Carroll "gets" modern Dredd perfectly. You can't keep writing stories about action-hero Dredd leaping off H-wagons in a sparkling world-ruling city - Dredd's 70 odd years old and his city has been crippled by Chaos day - Carroll writes stories that reflect this. hence the need for additional characters to do some of the action stuff but Dredd's presence looms over everything, he can still handle himself in a scrap and his dialogue is always spot on. Ditto for Every Empire falls - I didn't think Hershey was portrayed as a lame duck, she's in charge of a crippled city and had hard choices to make. There's a bit where the Brit cit judge says something like "don't make the mistake of thinking of her as politician, she's a street judge - and if she knew Dredd was alive, she'd ditch the badge of office and come gunning for us" (paraphrased as i don't have it to hand).

Yeah I've not got much to add to this and have said here before on a number of occasions that I'm a big fan if Carroll's Dredd, some of his shorter stories have been quite brilliant examinations of Dredd.

I really enjoyed Every Empire Falls and think it was a very fresh way to present an epic. The latest isn't quite as good but has some real high moments and I'll work with the current section and see how it all plays out quite happily.

I gotta disagree - I'm enjoying this latest Dredd stories and I think Carroll "gets" modern Dredd perfectly. You can't keep writing stories about action-hero Dredd leaping off H-wagons in a sparkling world-ruling city - Dredd's 70 odd years old and his city has been crippled by Chaos day - Carroll writes stories that reflect this. hence the need for additional characters to do some of the action stuff but Dredd's presence looms over everything, he can still handle himself in a scrap and his dialogue is always spot on. Ditto for Every Empire falls - I didn't think Hershey was portrayed as a lame duck, she's in charge of a crippled city and had hard choices to make. There's a bit where the Brit cit judge says something like "don't make the mistake of thinking of her as politician, she's a street judge - and if she knew Dredd was alive, she'd ditch the badge of office and come gunning for us" (paraphrased as i don't have it to hand).

Yeah I've not got much to add to this and have said here before on a number of occasions that I'm a big fan if Carroll's Dredd, some of his shorter stories have been quite brilliant examinations of Dredd.

I really enjoyed Every Empire Falls and think it was a very fresh way to present an epic. The latest isn't quite as good but has some real high moments and I'll work with the current section and see how it all plays out quite happily.

I'll put my name to this ^^^ too.I think he gets the modern Dredd and knows how to tell a great tale.Just thinking this current story is a bit off, but its a first misstep I can think of the Car-Roll droid making.Course Old Stoney Face could be planning something...

I find with Carroll that it is always a job to know where he is going to land it. Quite often he can start off with a strong story but lose the ending and it just feels 'meh'. By the same token, mid story it can feel like a bit of a slog and then he finds a way to pull something decent out of the bag at the last moment. It's that lack of consistency that tends to frustrate me. Watching this space and hoping for the best.